Article receiving apparatus



June 25, 1957 w. G. oTTo ARTICLE RECEIVING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 426, 1954 JNVENTo/e W G* O TTO .l lllldnl.

F7 TTOR/VE Y United States Patent C ARTICLE RECEIVING APPARATUS Willard G. Otto, Schnecksville, Pa., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 26, 1954, Serial No. 471,479 2 Claims. (Cl. 198-210) This invention relates to `apparatus for receiving articles having projecting leads such as lamp stems dropped from a forming apparatus.

Numerous apparatus are provided for receiving articles of various contours and structures ejected from forming machines and in most instances the articles are sufliciently durable to withstand the shock received when dropped into the conventional chutes, containers or the like which are disposed at the discharge position to receive them. However, during the manufacture of more delicate articles such as stems for switchboard lamps there is an entirely different problem. The lamp stems include tubular glass structures with annular beads formed on their lower ends in which the iine lead wires of like lengths are fused intermediate their ends leaving straight parallel portions projecting downwardly from the beaded ends of the glass tubes. During the formation of the lamp stems, the w-ire leads projecting downwardly therefrom `are caused to be straight `and parallel with each other and it is desirable to retain this formation to the completion of the lamp. However, if these completed lamp stems should be dropped into the conventional chutes or containers, the lead wires would be bent and possibly damaged to the point where they could not be used.

The object of the invention is an apparatus which is capable of receiving yarticles having projecting leads which have been dropped at a discharge position and transfer them to -an unloading position free of disturbance to the leads of the articles.

With this and other objects in View, the invention comprises an `apparatus for receiving articles having downwardly .projecting leads as they are dropped successively at a discharge position and for transferring them to an unloading position including a brush having upwardly extending bristles of such size Eand spacing that the leads of the articles dropped thereon will pass downwardly between the bristles and the articles thereby held in upright positions.

In the present embodiment of the invention, one or more annular brushes, positioned around and supported by a turntable, provide a continuous nest of vertically extending equally spaced bristles moving continuously from a discharge position to 'a loading position to receive the articles with their downwardly project-ing parallel leads and transfer them free of disturbance to the leads to the unloading position.

Other objects Iand advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

iFig. 1 is a side elevational view of the Iapparatus shown in conjunction with a stem making machine, portions of the apparatus being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the apparatus, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary `detailed v-iew of a portion of one of the articles and -a group of the bristles of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawing, attention is directed rst 0 the brush through the leads.

2,796,976 Patented June 25, 1957 to the articles which in the present instance are lamp stems 10 formed in a stem making machine 11 wherein lead wires 12 have portions intermediate their ends embedded in beads 14 at the lower ends of the tubular glass porl,

tions leaving parallel ends -of the leads projecting like distances below the beads 14. The stem making machine 11 is of the turret type having a multiplicity of chucks 15 to grip and removably hold ythe glass tubes y10 during the formation of the stem assemblies, the chucks being spring actuated yand opened at the discharge position by `a reciprocating plunger 16, or other suitable means, striking the head 17 of the adjacent chuck 15.

The apparatus which constitutes the present invent-ion includes a table -20 supported for rotation on a bearing 21 mounted on a support or bench 22. In the present instance, the table 20 is mounted on an element 23 supported by the bearing 21 and centrally apertured Ifor a shaft 24 which is fixed at its upper end to the table at 25. A pin 26 positively connects the table 20 to the element '23. The :shaft 24 is driven by a speed reducing unit 27 which in turn is driven by a motor 28 supported at 29 by vertical members or bolts 30 extending downwardly from the support or bench 22.

The periphery of the table 20 has an offset annular portion 32 including a shelf 33 where one or more `annular brushes 34 are nested to produce a complete structure of substantially equally spaced bristles of predetermined sizes and spaces with their -upper ends terminating in thev at the discharge position with the lower parallel ends of the leads 12 extending downwardly. Energization of the motor 28 will drive the speed reducing unit 27 to rotate the table 20 at a speed :suitable to position an unoccupied area of the brush 34 beneath the discharge position of the machine 11 for the successive articles 10. Each article, in dropping, will cause its leads to enter Ialigned spaces between bristles of the brushes until the beaded end 14 comes to rest on the upper ends of the bristles.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the brushes 34 are formed of like bristles 36 of .004 bronze wire piling with uniform parallel density so that the bristles of the brush may catch the leads of the articles as they drop free of the chucks. The parallel uniform formation of the bristles of the brush assures reception of the projecting parallel ends of the leads 12, maintenance of the parallel relationship of the leads and cooperation of the bristles to grip the leads of the article to prevent the article from bouncing or otherwise dislocating its :attachment with The straight parallel bristles of the brush freely receive the leads of the larticles and apply through their frictional contacts with the leads sulficient holding force to maintain the Iarticles upright to avoid any possible disturbances of the parallel relationship of the leads and will permit free removal of the articles from the brushes lat the unloading position.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the prin ciples of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the Iart which will embody the principles of the invention and fall'within the spirit and sc-ope thereof.

What is claimed is: Y

1. An `apparatus for receiving articles from ya movable conveying means, the articles having downwardly projecting vertically positioned parallel leads and the conveying means including spaced individual holders, for the articles to orient the articles with their leads vertically positioned,

actuable at a discharge position t-o drop the varticles successively,'the apparatuscomprising a brush movable relative to the discharge position and having vertically extending bristles of such size and spacing that when the articles are dropped thereon at the discharge position theV vertical leads' willV pass "down between thebristles" and the articles will be held in vertical positions by the frictional contact of certain ofthe bristles with the leads, and l means to move the brush to transfer the articles, received 'actuable Kat a discharge position to'drop the articles Suc-V cessively, the apparatus comprising a brush movable relative to the discharge position and having vertically extending bristles of such-size and spacing that whenthe articles are dropped thereon at the discharge position the vertical leads will pass down between the bristles and the articles will be held in vertical positions by the frictional contact of certain of the bristles with the leads, la support for the brush having vertical walls disposed at opposite sides of the brush to maintain the bristles in their vertical positions, and means to move the support with the brush to transfer the articles, received at the discharge posi- 10 tion, to an unloading position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,021,122 lFowler Nov. 12, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 594,036 Germany Mar. 9, 1934 988,106 France V Apr. 2v5, 19541 

